Walking On Sunshine
by Fade131
Summary: Sasuke didn't want anything on Valentine's Day but peace and quiet, because it had proved to be the only day that Naruto was so busy chasing Sakura that he got left alone, at least by them.  Originally posted 8.3.2007


1.

_I used to think maybe you loved me_

It was stupid. This entire holiday was stupid. There was absolutely no reason why girls – and not a few boys - should _be encouraged_ to bother him one day out of every year. Besides, it only set them up for heartbreak when White Day rolled around and he glared at everyone who so much as looked at him.

Sasuke didn't want anything on Valentine's Day but peace and quiet, because it had proved to be the only day that Naruto was so busy chasing Sakura that he got left alone, at least by them. But no, every other stalker and fangirl in the village had to see the day as an opportunity to prove their undying devotion. He was seriously considering running away and never going near any other human being again.

He was glaring angrily at the stack of cards that had somehow found their way into his home, wishing their senders painful deaths, when one of them caught his eye. He'd know Naruto's handwriting anywhere.

_Jeez_, he though disgustedly, shoving the entire pile off his table into the wastebasket, _can't these idiots leave me alone for even one day?_

2.  
><em>Now baby I'm sure.<em>

It had been a little while and maybe he didn't loathe Valentine's Day so much anymore. He was more inclined to tolerate it now, even despite the continued attempts of various thickheaded girls to win his attention. He thought he might understand the whole token of affection for the one you love thing a little better now. Not that he would ever give anyone anything on this day. That as what White Day was for.

He was still deluged with cards, which were meticulously gathered together and either simply thrown away or – when he was particularly irritated – set aflame. Although, he did go through them now, because otherwise he might have gotten rid of the important one. That might have gotten him in trouble.

So this Valentine's Day, like only a few previously, Sasuke sifted through his cards until he found the one addressed in Naruto's messy scrawl, extracted it, set it aside, and disposed of the rest. He remembered it later in the day, and read it when he was sure no one else was going to come annoy him. It was short and sweet, like they all were, and it made him smile to himself.

He put it in his nightstand drawer, on top of the others, before he went to bed.

3.  
><em>And I just can't wait till the day when you knock on my door<em>

Otogakure was boring on Valentine's Day. Unless one wanted to watch Kabuto follow Orochimaru around making moon-eyes – which was, admittedly, hysterical – there wasn't much of anything to do. Granted, he enjoyed the solitude. He liked the complete and utter _lack_ of attention, because here he was Orochimaru's pet – not that this was flattering in any way – and no one was allowed to look at him sideways today without receiving serious repercussions, but there was just… _nothing_. He almost _missed_ the flood of cards and boxes of candy if only because searching through them for Naruto's inevitable missive gave him something to occupy his time with, and burning them later would have been a stress relief.

And that was another thing. No letter from Naruto. And he wouldn't be sending one back in a month's time. Just nothing. Sasuke pretended very stoically that this did not bother him in the slightest, and that he had remembered his former hatred of the holiday and decided to disregard it.

At least Orochimaru hadn't sent him anything. Or maybe he had. The post was remarkably substandard, given that the Village didn't stay in one place long enough for them to set up a proper system.

Later, he found a short, suspiciously inked note that was presumably from his brother lying on his tabletop. Pens just didn't come in that dried-blood colour Itachi seemed to find so amusing. He set it alight just to prove he could.

4.  
><em>Now every time I go to the mailbox, gotta hold myself down<em>

He wondered what day it was, and then remembered that he didn't care. It didn't matter, anyway. They didn't have days here. It was perpetual night in this little cell, punctuated irregularly by the guards bringing food – they endeavored wholeheartedly to pretend they didn't want to let him starve to death out of spite – and the Godaime Hokage's visits to try and extract information from him.

He liked her visits better. She was at least relatively polite, unless he was bitchy, and then she just _made_ him behave. Sasuke found he didn't exactly mind that. She was helping him, after all. He would, she had informed him on her previous visit, be granted a trial by his peers. And maybe they'd spontaneously forget that he was the biggest bastard who'd ever lived and had tried to kill his best friend and had betrayed the Village to run off with a creepy, slightly pedophilic snake on the off-chance that he'd learn something useful enough to help him kill his brother.

Of course, he'd managed that. The ANBU had confiscated Itachi's head from him when he'd stumbled up to the village gates. He hoped they hadn't put it on a pike out front, or something, because he had plans for those damn eyes if they ever let him out of here. If not, then at least he had done one last thing that – while almost entirely selfish – would help the Village on some level. Possibly.

The door swung open and light poured in, heralding the arrival of the one person who Tsunade had been adamant would not be visiting him anytime soon, because the council would have a fit. Naruto wasn't smiling – and under these circumstances, who would be? – but he was somehow still the cheerful ray of sunshine that Sasuke remembered he'd always been. And hugging him was just like he'd remembered, as well, although it was a bit difficult with the chakra-restricting manacles on his wrists, but he made do. And then - Kami help him, what ever happened to a card? – the idiot was whispering 'Happy Valentine's Day' in his ear, and kissing him like they hadn't seen each other in years and this was what he'd wanted for so long that it hurt.

Which was all right, because Sasuke felt exactly the same way. And in that moment, he couldn't have been happier.  
><em><br>'Cause I just can't wait till you write me you're coming around_


End file.
